Pukekohe: An exclusive extract including karaka

Long a service town to the surrounding farmers and market gardeners, Pukekohe is now the lively heart of Franklin District. A stroll down the main shopping street reveals a pleasant, affluent and unpretentious country town.

The population is predominantly European, but there are also Maori, Indian and Chinese. Pukekohe is attractive to those who need to be near Auckland but want a country lifestyle. People here are mostly middle-class, but there are a few wealthy people, too.

Typical dwellings run from old farmhouses, villas and bungalows, through to more modern brick-and-tile and weatherboard homes. The new developments tend to be brick-and-tile or have plaster finishes.

To the north, Karaka is a lifestyle area of mainly 10-acre blocks, popular with the sort of people who flock to Whitford. Westbury, the 253ha Karaka stud farm of Kiwi businessman Eric Watson is estimated to be worth about $60 million. Bare land sells for close to $123,000 a hectare. Fees for senior students at local private school Strathallan are almost $12,000 a year. Get the picture?

Amenities All of the local schools are good and parents love the fact that they can send their children to country schools which still have calf-club days. Pukekohe has excellent mainstreet shopping. The street was revamped in a pretty country-style a few years ago. There are more than 200 businesses offering everything from tractors to fine wines. There is also a booming retail area in Manukau Rd, with large car parks. Big retailers have arrived in town, but there's no room for them in the main street - and that will ensure that it keeps its character.

Locals are spoiled for choice if they're into outdoor activities. Pukekohe Park is the home of motorsport, and horse racing is getting bigger and bigger here. There is an abundance of indoor and outdoor facilities, including the fairly new Cosmopolitan Club sports complex with its indoor and outdoor all-weather bowling greens, 10-pin bowling and other facilities. The traditional A & P show still pulls the crowds, as does a more contemporary Garden and Craft Show.

Drive 40 minutes east or west and you're at the sea. Many locals have bachs on the Coromandel Peninsula.

And if you like the sophistication of city-style restaurants and cafes but hate the crowds, this is place for you.

Trends Despite the number of new homes which some may see as detracting from the area, demand is still high, and that's driving prices upwards. Hampton Park and Buckland Estate are two fairly new subdivisions where the sections are quite large and values are high. One home on a 1500sq m section at Buckland Estate recently sold for $640,000. A few years ago you could buy something modest in the worst part of town for $100,000; now you'll be lucky if it's $170,000.

Rental and investment There has always been good demand for rentals, and that has increased with the population.

Best streets Sunset Drive and its off-shoot Cloverlea Place are sought after because they back on to a big reserve and are close to Pukekohe Hill School.